A vow to keep silent

Kongbrailatpam Rajeshwar Sharma *

Hinduism is a great religion with a history of more than three thousand years. Not only is it a religion, but it is also a way of life.

Hinduism is endowed with rites, rituals, customs and traditions which are influenced by the teachings of the Vedas - Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sarna Veda and Atharva Veda. The Vedas are Shruti scriptures which were taught by the rishis of ancient times.

Shruti means "that which is heard" later disciples wrote the scriptures in books which are popularly known as the Vedas. Rig Veda is a book of hymns. It consists of 10,589 verses which are all in praise of the glory of God in various forms. Yajur Veda is a book of liturgy. There are 3,988 verses of rituals in Yajur Veda but there are 1,549 verses in Sarna Veda that became the source of music. Atharva Veda is the book of knowledge which was given by sage Atharvan. It consists of 6000 verses.

Based on the teachings of the Vedas particularly the Yajur Veda, there are rituals, customs and traditions Hindus have been following for thousands of years. Among them, Maun-Vrat is a popular custom among the Hindus. It is a custom of keeping silent. Maun-Vrat literally means a vow to keep silent. It is observed for sixteen days during the month of July.

But nowadays some devout Hindus observe Maun-Vrat for more than fifty days during the months of May and June rather than July. Hindus follow the custom of Maun-Vrat in order to acquire purity of speech. It is a practice to keep one's speech free from lies and foul phrases against anyone. It is also a practice to keep one's mind devoid of negative thought. Purity of speech is indispensable for spiritual growth.

There is a popular belief among the Hindus that the ability to keep silent for a longer period of time not only enables a person to achieve his or her goals but it also enables the person to attain the abode of lord Shiva. In the Chanakya Niti, it is written, "Whoever can remain silent everyday for a full year becomes worthy of thousands of years of praise in heaven."

Among the Hindus, silence is also regarded as one of the rare qualities that every Hindu strives to possess. It is said that silence can change the personality of an individual. One can control anger through silence. As a result of keeping silent, one grows stronger not only in self-confidence but also in one's moral sense of right and wrong. Thereby one becomes a better person.

In the Hindu epic the Mahabharata, the power of silence is emphasized with utmost importance. Sages and Rishis kept silent during their meditations. So strong was their vow to keep silent that no wild animals or wild fires in the forest could ever break the silence of the Rishis during their meditations. Maharishi Veda Vyasa dictated all the verses in the nineteen chapters of the Mahabharata to lord Ganesh.

During the dictation, not a single word was uttered by lord Ganesh. He remained silent till the end. With the power of silence, said lord Ganesh, he could control himself and concentrate on what he was writing.

Ahimsa or nonviolence is an offshoot of silence. It is one of the basic principles of Hinduism. Whether it is human being or nonhuman being, all lives are sacred to the Hindus. The paramount duty of a Hindu is to save lives. But sometimes situation arises where two noble principles conflict with each other. The principle of Ahimsa should always prevail in such a situation.

To drive home the point, lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita narrates the story of a hermit and a robber. The hermit who lived in a forest was so truthful that he would never tell a lie. Knowing that the hermit would tell the truth, the robber who was looking for a merchant asked the hermit if he saw a man going that way. The hermit replied in the positive although he knew that the robber would kill the merchant.

The robber who followed the direction where the merchant went found the merchant and killed him. Had the hermit told a lie, he could have saved the life of the merchant. But the hermit had to share the sin of killing the merchant with the robber although he did not take part in killing the merchant.

No matter how virtuous it is for the Prime Minister to keep silent, the pertinent question is whether he has any moral obligation to clear the Imphal-Dimapur National Highway which has s been under siege since the 3rd of May 2023 or to stop the "Narcoterrorists" from attacking the villagers in the Manipur valley. In the Bhagavad Gita, it is explained that one should not shun one's duty even at the cost of one's life.

The utmost duty of a Prime Minister is to safeguard the lives of the people and their properties in the country. Sooner or later he will have to accept the fate of the hermit if he fails to do so. It is divine for him to carry out his assigned duties to protect the lives and properties of the people.

When Arjuna refused to fight against the Kauravas, the symbol of violence and evil, lord Krishna implored him in the Bhagavad Gita, "Arjuna, please perform your prescribed duty (Svardharma) for doing so is better than inaction (Silence)"

The root word for Yoga is "Yuj" which means "To unite or bond." So Yoga means union with God, or attaining salvation. In Hinduism there are four paths to salvation. One can attain salvation by following one of the four paths. Karma Yoga is one of them. In the Bhagavad Gita, Karma Yoga is explained elaborately so that a layman can understand it. It means attaining salvation by following the path of selfless actions.

Lord Krishna says, "Acting without becoming attached to the fruits of actions is called Karma Yoga." It is said in the Bhagavad Gita that no man will reach a state of Nishkarmata (Freedom from actions) by shunning or abstaining from actions. Lord Krishna advises Arjuna, "You should not act out of motivation for the fruits of actions, and you should never be inactive."

It is high time the Prime Minister ended the Maun-Vrat and performed his prescribed duties to bring peace and harmony in Manipur.

"To do one's duty is the best prayer to God" said Swami Vivekananda.